Texas Center for District and School Support (TCDSS) Website
The Texas Center for District and School Support (TCDSS) serves as a coordinating point for statewide school improvement initiatives of the Texas Education Agency. As part of the Region 13 Education Service Center, the TCDSS coordinates and leverages statewide technical assistance services to support districts and schools in meeting required performance standards under both state and federal accountability systems. Additionally, the TCDSS leads and manages a number of grants and special projects for the TEA focused on building statewide capacity for school improvement to ensure all students graduate career and college ready.

Expert Voice: Interviews that provide a theoretical overview of the TAIS Framework

From the Field: Videos that provide a look into campuses across Texas

Critical Success Factors: Videos, action guides, and reflective questions to use within professional learning community campus/district teams

Accountability and Leadership Solutions is committed to providing programs, products, services, and resources to enhance teacher and school district leaders’ effectiveness and positively impact student performance.

The Texas Accountability Intervention System (TAIS) is the research-based system approved for use with Texas public school districts and public charter schools. Although applicable for all, this system is required for campuses and districts that have been identified as needing improvement though both the state and federal accountability systems. It provides a research-based model of continuous improvement activities for schools and districts.

TAIS Support: The TAIS guidance documents are a resource to support all LEAs in the continuous improvement process. The documents include best practice research,
step-by-step processes, and useful tips for engaging in data analysis, needs assessment, improvement planning, and implementation and monitoring activities. Resources: http://www.tcdss.net/tcdss/tais.html

Critical Success Factors (CSFs)
Every school has factors that are critical to its success. Identifying a focused number of key areas of improvement can help campuses thrive. Once identified, critical success factors help stakeholders focus on priorities, develop measurable goals, and create a culture of teamwork.

The seven identified critical success factors are foundational elements and serve as key components in school planning.The CSFs are grounded in evidence-based research as connected to the Texas Accountability and Intervention System (TAIS). We provide differentiated trainings that fully support systemic efforts at all levels, including district commitments, and campus trainings with full integration of the critical success factors. All workshops can be further customized as on-site trainings in your district/charter.

Family and Community Engagement: Focus on increased opportunities for input from parents and the community as well as the necessity for effective communication and access to community services.

School Climate: Focus on the development of a positive campus climate as an extension of the learning environment.

Teacher Quality: Focus on the need to recruit and retain effective teachers while supporting and enhancing the knowledge and skills of current staff with job-embedded professional development.

Our department’s Turnaround Team is diligently committed to assisting Texas public school districts and public charter schools in their school improvement efforts. We provide differentiated trainings that fully support systemic efforts at all levels, including district commitments, campus technical assistance, and full integration of the critical success factors into the continuous improvement process. All workshops can be further customized as on-site trainings in your district/charter:

If your district/campus has received an Improvement Required rating or has been designated as either a focus or priority school, there are customized services and support available to you. Please e-mail one of the contacts listed for assistance today!